Ramblings and Compositions

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Epitome

In response to Daily Prompt (Epitome)

It was hard for me to understand exactly what my words were worth. I spent so much time comparing myself to those around me, by aspiring to the greatness achieved by others. I never once took the time to think introspectively.

It seems like such a daunting task to emulate those who came before me, but so much more terrifying to try to be myself.

The most important thing one can do as a writer, in my humble opinion, is to focus less on the external. Don’t worry so much about who you compare yourself to, be the epitome of yourself.

Epitomize greatness, in such a way that only you can. No one else can understand your tragedies and triumphs. No one else can view the world through your eyes. No one else can wield the pen in your hand quite like you can. If that’s not greatness, I don’t know what is.

Epitomize curiosity. You are here for a reason. You pore over texts innumerable, write pages unfathomable, see scenes from a perspective that belongs to no one else. You analyze the works of others through the measure of your experience. The lens with which you are equipped is unparalleled, don’t allow the endless murmurings of others to engulf them in fog.

Epitomize courage. If you think it’s an easy task to take a piece of your soul and give it to the world, you’re sorely mistaken. As writers, anything we publish — big or small — is a piece of ourselves. That in and of itself is an act paramount to being a paragon of pluck! There are so many out there who will judge this, I am sure there are quite a few out there who will hate it. They’ll find it mediocre, boring, poorly constructed. All of that may be true, but I’ll be damned if I won’t publish it. Waiting for a piece to be perfect would be to ensure it is never seen by another. Have the guts to try and fail.

The best and worst parts of you as a person materialize through the letters that dance across the screen or page as you compose them. Don’t waste time attempting to master another’s form. Your dance is worth remembering. Make no mistake, if you are the epitome of yourself, you will never dance alone.